Preparing Financial Business Statements (2024)

Financial statements, though often feared as a very intimidating portion of small business accounting, are just a matter of putting the trial balance amounts onto properly formatted statements. Learn how to prepare these documents you'll need for shareholders, potential financiers and your own insight.

After you have prepared your adjusting entries in the general journal, posted the general journal totals to the general ledger, and footed the general ledger accounts, you are ready to prepare financial statements. Like most of the accounting tasks we've reviewed, your accounting software can alleviate much of the legwork.

If all adjusting entries have been made, and a trial balance done, preparing financial statements is really just a matter of putting the trial balance amounts onto properly formatted statements.

Creating the components of a financial statement

The financial statements prepared for most small businesses comprise a balance sheet and an income statement

Usually these are prepared by an accountant. But with the help of computer software, you may be able to prepare your own financial statements. If you need to prepare financial statements for a third party, such as a banker, sometimes the third party may request that the financial statements be prepared by a professional accountant or certified public accountant.

Preparing a balance sheet

Also called a statement of financial position, a balance sheet is a financial snapshot of your business at a given date in time. It lists your assets, your liabilities and the difference between the two, which is your owner's equity, or net worth. The accounting equation (assets = liabilities + owner's equity) is the basis for the balance sheet.

The balance sheet is prepared after all adjusting entries are made in the general journal, all journal entries have been posted to the general ledger, the general ledger accounts have been footed to arrive at the period end totals, and an adjusted trial balance is prepared from the general ledger amounts.

All amounts should be rounded to the nearest dollar, like in this example of a balance sheet for a sole proprietorship:

Preparing Financial Business Statements (2024)

FAQs

Preparing Financial Business Statements? ›

You begin with the net income reported on the income statement. Then, you add non-cash expenses (like depreciation and amortization) and subtract non-cash revenues (like gains on the sale of assets). Finally, you consider changes in balance sheet accounts (accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory).

How do you prepare a business financial statement? ›

You begin with the net income reported on the income statement. Then, you add non-cash expenses (like depreciation and amortization) and subtract non-cash revenues (like gains on the sale of assets). Finally, you consider changes in balance sheet accounts (accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory).

What is the process of preparing financial statements? ›

The income statement is prepared after all adjusting entries are made in the general journal, all journal entries have been posted to the general ledger, the general ledger accounts have been footed to arrive at the period end totals, and an adjusted trial balance has been prepared from the general ledger totals.

Can I prepare my own financial statements? ›

You can prepare your financial statements in house, but if you're like many small business owners, you may prefer to have an outside professional to prepare your financial statements in accordance with an accounting framework that is appropriate for your business.

What are the 5 basic financial statements for financial reporting? ›

The 5 types of financial statements you need to know
  • Income statement. Arguably the most important. ...
  • Cash flow statement. ...
  • Balance sheet. ...
  • Note to Financial Statements. ...
  • Statement of change in equity.

Can QuickBooks do financial statements? ›

Does QuickBooks provide financial statements? Yes, you can use QuickBooks financial reporting software to help generate your financial and accounting reports seamlessly.

What are the basic financial statements for small business? ›

There are three basic financial statements: balance sheets, income statements (or profit and loss statements), and cash flow statements. Business owners use other financial reports, such as the statement of retained earnings, less frequently.

How to prepare monthly financial statements? ›

How To Prepare A Monthly Financial Report?
  1. Step 1: Prepare A Balance Sheet. ...
  2. Step 2: Prepare An Income Statement. ...
  3. Step 3: Prepare Closing Entries To Go Forward For The Next Monthly Accounting Report. ...
  4. Step 4: Consolidate All The Above Financial Data and Visualize It.
Oct 27, 2022

What are the standard for preparing financial statements? ›

A complete set of financial statements normally includes a balance sheet, a statement of profit and loss (also known as 'income statement'), a cash flow statement and those notes and other statements and explanatory material that are an integral part of the financial statements.

What is an example of a financial statement? ›

The income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows are required financial statements. These three statements are informative tools that traders can use to analyze a company's financial strength and provide a quick picture of a company's financial health and underlying value.

What is the easiest financial statement to prepare? ›

Perhaps the most useful financial statement, and easiest to understand, is the income statement. The income statement has a separate section for both revenue and expenses, including sales, cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and net profit.

Do small companies have to prepare financial statements? ›

It is not common for small proprietary companies to prepare and circulate reports to members. However, if members wish to receive this information they can make a direction to the company to provide it.

How much does a CPA charge for financial statement review? ›

The cost of a financial statement review generally ranges from $1,500 to $5,000. Many CPAs will include the review at the time your taxes are prepared and roll the cost together.

How to make financial statements? ›

5 steps to prepare your financial statements
  1. Step 1: gather all relevant financial data. ...
  2. Step 2: categorize and organize the data. ...
  3. Step 3: draft preliminary financial statements. ...
  4. Step 4: review and reconcile all data. ...
  5. Step 5: finalize and report.
Oct 24, 2023

What is the most important financial statement? ›

Types of Financial Statements: Income Statement. Typically considered the most important of the financial statements, an income statement shows how much money a company made and spent over a specific period of time.

What financial documents should you keep? ›

Supporting documents include sales slips, paid bills, invoices, receipts, deposit slips, and canceled checks. These documents contain the information you need to record in your books. It is important to keep these documents because they support the entries in your books and on your tax return.

How do you structure a financial statement? ›

On the top half you have the company's assets and on the bottom half its liabilities and Shareholders' Equity (or Net Worth). The assets and liabilities are typically listed in order of liquidity and separated between current and non-current. The income statement covers a period of time, such as a quarter or year.

How are financial statements created? ›

Financial statements are summaries of activities, so the first step in creating any financial statement is to start by building worksheets. Worksheets are updated almost daily with raw data – all sales, expenses, depreciation, and any other flow of money into, out of, or within a company.

Who prepares financial statements in a company? ›

Directors prepare financial statements; audit committees monitor the integrity of financial information.

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